Evening belt

1935–45

Not on view

While some designers have attained a level of success that makes their names famous, most have worked in anonymity. By consequence, documented examples of the designs of many talented individuals can be hard to come by. Steven Arpad was a designer of shoes and other women's accessories. Working in Paris in the 1930s, he designed shoes anonymously for Balenciaga and Delman, and most probably for other couturiers and high-end manufacturers. Arpad immigrated to the United States and in the 1940s produced lines of leather accessories and jewelry under his own name. Worn by Standard Oil heiress Millicent Rogers, who was dressed by the greatest couturiers of the 1930s and 1940s including Schiaparelli, Mainbocher, and Charles James, this belt expresses the couture sensibility with its high-quality materials and interesting combination of black lace worked with brown leather.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Evening belt
Designer: Steven Arpad (French, 1904–1999)
Date: 1935–45
Culture: probably French
Medium: leather, silk
Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955
Object Number: 2009.300.3531
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

By Steven Arpad

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Model No. 158, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 158
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. 139, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 139
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. AV, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. AV
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. 249, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 249
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. 499, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 499
Steven Arpad
1939

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.